Move Up Down rules, ladder format for club nights

What is Move Up / Down?

Move Up / Down (also known as 'ladder', 'Up & Down' or 'King's Court ladder') is the format for large, mixed groups across multiple courts. The idea: court 1 is the strongest court, court 2 the second strongest, and so on. After every round winners go one court up, losers one court down.

Within a few rounds players naturally settle at their own level — everyone gets fair, fun matches without you having to seed in advance. The format is also drop-in friendly: new players simply join on a middle court.

Scoring

Move Up / Down is about win/loss per round, not total points. Each round is a short match to a fixed cap (16 or 21 points) or a time limit (8–10 minutes).

Per round: winning team moves up, losing team moves down.
On court 1 winners stay (no higher court); losers move to court 2.
On the lowest court losers stay; winners move up.
Final standing = highest court reached. Tied? Number of rounds spent there.

Rotation & pairings

On the new court partners are reshuffled — usually based on the score from the previous round or by a fixed rule ('highest scorer stays together' or 'cross over').

4 courts, 16 players, round 1 -> round 2:

Court 1: winners stay              (losers to court 2)
Court 2: winners to court 1        (losers to court 3)
Court 3: winners to court 2        (losers to court 4)
Court 4: losers stay               (winners to court 3)

On every court partners are reshuffled based on the previous score.

Tiebreaks & tied scores

Per match: tied at the cap or time → 1 extra point (golden point) decides the winner.
For the final standing: highest court reached wins. Tied courts use rounds spent on that court.
Then: number of rounds won across the whole night.

Courts & players

Recommended group size: Works from 8 players (2 courts) up to 32+ players (8 courts). Every group of 4 fills exactly one court — stick to multiples of 4.

Odd numbers: Not a multiple of 4? Rotate a sit-out pair that moves one slot every round, or let them play on an 'extra' court with an adjusted rotation.

Common mistakes

Rounds that are too long — if matches run 15+ minutes the ladder grinds to a halt and everyone stays on the same court.
Forgetting to reshuffle partners on the new court — otherwise you play three rounds with the same person.
No clear rule for court 1 (winners stay, losers always leave) — explain it before round 1.
No round-by-round scoring for the tiebreaker — use scorecards or an app.

Difference with other formats

Americano

Fixed pairings, individual point score. No court promotion.

Mexicano

Pairings are recalculated on the standings, but you stay on one court.

King of the Court

Only court 1 counts — winners stay, losers go all the way down.

Frequently asked questions about Move Up / Down

What is the Move Up / Down format?

A ladder across multiple courts where winners move one court up every round and losers one court down. Court 1 is the strongest court — reaching higher = better placement.

How many rounds do you play in Move Up / Down?

Usually 6–10 short rounds. A 1.5-hour night with 10-minute rounds yields 8–9 rounds.

How do you reshuffle partners on a new court?

Most common: when a team enters a new court, partners are crossed based on the previous round's score (highest + lowest vs middle two). Some clubs simply randomise.

Does Move Up / Down work for beginners?

Especially well. Beginners drop in 1–2 rounds to a court of similar level; advanced players move up. Everyone naturally plays at their own level.

What if someone arrives late or leaves early?

Drop-in/drop-out is easy: new players slot into a middle court, leavers are replaced by a sit-out or the remaining players rotate.

Ready to organise one?

Rallyo handles schedule, scores and ratings — for free. Live scoring from the court, automatic pairings and no more math.

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